In Another Life
by MelissaWritesThings
Summary: "...And I'd choose you. In a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I'd find you. And I'd choose you."
1. The Dwarves

**Prologue **

Night had fallen over the men's camp but many of its inhabitants were still awake, assisting with the injured soldiers and the bodies of those who had lost their lives earlier that day.

_So many people_ had died,

were dying,

and would soon be dead.

Unless.

A slight figure made its way through the maze of tents and ducked inside one of the larger ones.

If anyone had decided to eavesdrop that night, they would've heard snippets of a distressed voice: "...I need your help."

…..

"...going to die."

If that person had continued to listen they might have heard a muffled, angry, desperate argument.

And they might have heard the broken voice of someone who had everything to lose and was giving it up all the same.

"Just… just make it quick." A rattling breath. "He deserves it."

_"Love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing compared with love in dreams. Love in dreams is greedy for immediate action, rapidly performed and in sight of all." -Fyodor Dostoevsky; The Brothers Karamazov_

**Chapter 1**

Holly Curuwen sighed as her stomach complained yet again. Food was such an inconvenience, really, especially when one was devoid of it. She didn't want to use the word 'desperate', but she had in fact agreed to attend a party that night because of the promise of free food. That was uncharacteristically desperate in her books.

Holly had been invited earlier that evening. She'd been approached by an old man in a gray robe while she'd been sitting on a bench, reading a book. The conversation had gone something like this:

"Good morning," the old man (probably a wizard, she'd deduced) greeted, then chuckled to himself.

Holly wasn't sure what was so funny. "Um. Can I help you?"

"Perhaps I can help you. There is going to be a party tonight in the hobbit hole known as Bag End. I believe it would be rather beneficial for you to attend."

Holly wasn't sure if she should have felt surprised and offended. Nobody ever invited her to parties, especially strangers. "Um, I'm not _homeless_. I can get food for myself, thank you."

She'd seen why he might have thought that, though. Since leaving Rivendell, she hadn't had a change of clothes or a bath.

"I assure you, this is not a party for homeless people," the wizard person replied, then added, to himself, "Not really."

"And if I were to decide to attend this party, where would I find Bag End?"

"You will find it behind the green door at the top of the hill." He pointed to the door with his staff. "I have left a mark on the door. You won't miss it. Good day." He walked away.

Holly had shaken her head and went back to her book. There was no way she was going to a party since there were bound to be _people_, but over the course of a few hours her stomach had beaten her pride into submission and was currently dragging her over to Bag End.

Sure enough, there was a glowing rune etched onto the round green door. Holly placed a hand on the polished doorknob. Maybe she could get some food and leave without having to talk to anyone.

She opened the door, and the sounds of a party flooded into the quiet Shire air. Holly walked in cautiously and hung her coat on the rack. A pile of weapons was heaped next to the door. A closer look informed her that they were of dwarvish make. What kind of party was this?

The dining room seemed to have the most sound coming from it, so that was probably where the food was. And the alcohol.

A tomato flew threw the air, narrowly missing her head. Holly saw a group of dwarves sitting around the dining room table, involved in what appeared to be a hybrid of a feast and a food fight. She was ready to turn around and walk right back out when:

"'Ello there, lass!"

She spun back around to see who had called out to her as most of the noise in the house died out. One of the dwarves grinned rather drunkenly at her, adjusting a ridiculous-looking hat.

"You must be Mrs. Baggins!"

Holly flushed. Coming to this party was beginning to look like a more and more horrible idea.

"Erm, no, I'm just… a wizard... invited me…" _Everyone _was looking at her.

"Ah, Holly, glad to see you could make it!" said wizard appeared, ducking through one of the low archways.

"Yes. Yes, I did." Holly decided this was the first and last time she would be glad to see the wizard.

"Allow me to introduce the others: Fili, Kili, Dori, Nori, Ori…" After the wizard had assigned a name to each of the twelve dwarves in the room, Holly introduced herself. There was an awkward silence.

"Well, don't just stand there. Come and get some supper!" the dwarf named Dori piped up. Gradually, the other dwarves resumed their conversations, and Holly let out a sigh of relief.

She walked into the dining room and picked up a plate of food.

"You're rather short, for a child of Men," Gloin commented.

"Well-" Holly started, then bit her lip. She'd probably end up thinking of a retort the next day.

"Don't worry about Gloin, lass." Another red-head, this one named Nori, walked up and clapped Gloin on the shoulder. "He's suspicious of anything that's not a dwarf, and I suspect he's had a little too much ale tonight!"

Gloin just grunted and turned to talk to someone else.

Nori stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Hi. Nice to meet you, too." She shook his hand and tried not to dwell on the fact that his eyebrows had been braided up into his hair, which had been styled into three… lump things. How many hours had it taken to do that?

Nori was distracted by the antics of the other dwarves (who had begun to throw food again), giving Holly a chance to escape.

"Enjoying yourself so far?" The wizard's voice made the young woman jump.

Holly turned to face the wizard. "Erm… marginally."

"I suggest that you stay for the discussion afterwards. I have a proposition in mind for you, once you learn all the details."

Holly narrowed her eyes. "And why should I listen to you? Who are you, even?"

"My name is Gandalf the Gray. You may have heard of me, although hopefully not because of my fireworks."

"Gandalf…" She recognized the name. Everyone wrote stories and told tales about a tall gray wizard who could conjure a crackle of lightning with a wave of his staff. But after meeting him in person she wasn't sure if the texts she'd read about him did the wizard justice. There was something in his manner that seemed entirely... unreliable. Nonetheless, a hobbit hole was an odd place for dwarves to congregate, and the fact piqued her interest about this discussion. "Well... I suppose I can stay, for a while." She walked out of the hallway.

She settled down into an armchair in an empty room and opened her book again. Perhaps she could survive the rest of the night without having to socialize with anyone-

"Bebother and confusticate these dwarves!"

She looked up to see a hobbit walking into the room, fists clenched and head down, clearly frustrated.

_Great. Just great._

"Impressive vocabulary," she commented, making him jump. When he saw her, his shoulders rose with increasing exasperation.

"Wha- who are you?"

_What a warm welcoming I've received so far, _Holly thought as she mustered all of her amiability and stood up. "Holly Curuwen." She held out her hand.

Hesitantly, the hobbit walked over and shook it. "Bilbo Baggins. Er, nice to meet you."

"Same here." _Not really._ "Nice to see you have some manners, unlike some of these dwarves." She crossed her arms.

Bilbo's face darkened at the mention of dwarves. "Oh, let me tell you a thing!" He raised a finger in a manner of indignation that only a hobbit could express. "There's mud trod into the carpet, they've pi-pillaged the pantry, and I'm not even going to tell you what they've done to the bathroom. They've all but _destroyed_ the plumbing! I don't understand what they're doing in my house!" he ranted.

Before Holly could say anything, Ori walked in, clutching a green plate.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt, but what should I do with my plate?" he inquired politely.

"Here, Ori, give it to me!" Fili walked in and took the plate, throwing it to Kili, who threw it to someone else in the kitchen. Soon all the dwarves were involved, throwing kitchenware around and singing a silly song.

"Excuse me, that's my mother's West Farthing crockery! It's over one hundred years old!" Bilbo yelped, scrambling after the dwarves to rescue his plates.

Disinterested, Holly sat back down and resumed her reading.

A few minutes later, she became vaguely aware that they had stopped singing, but paid no heed until three loud knocks silenced all of the laughter and chatter in the other room. She could hear the entire group shuffling towards the door in silence.

_Someone important is here_, she concluded, deciding to investigate.

She snapped her book shut and walked into the foyer, where the dwarves and Gandalf were watching the newcomer (also a dwarf) slowly pace around Bilbo.

"So this is the hobbit," the stranger mused. "Tell me, Mr. Baggins, have you done much fighting?"

"Pardon me?" the hobbit stammered.

"Axe or sword, what is your weapon of choice?"

"Well, I do have some skill at conkers, if you must know, but I fail to see why that's- why that's relevant."

"Thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar." the dwarf scoffed. Then his eyes locked onto Holly. His eyes shocked her. They were an intense blue, like chips of ice. "Gandalf. You made no mention of a woman."

"That is because I only met her earlier today, Thorin. There has been a slight change of plans, but I think that is best to be discussed once you've had something to eat," Gandalf replied.

So everyone filed back into the dining room and sat around the table while Thorin was served some leftover soup. Holly stood off to the side. She frowned at the memory Gandalf's cryptic words. Couldn't he just explain what everyone was doing here, and what she had to do with it all?

"What news from the meeting in Ered Luin? Did they all come?" Balin spoke.

"Aye. Envoys from all seven kingdoms."

"What do the dwarves of the Iron Hills say? Are they with us?" Dwalin asked eagerly.

"They will not come," Thorin's eyes fell. "They say this quest is ours, and ours alone."

_They are going on a quest to reclaim Erebor_, Holly realized. She'd heard about the fall of the great dwarven kingdom as a child. And what else would they be gathering a great army for? All the pieces began to click together, with empty spaces concerning herself. She threw a glance in Gandalf's direction, who nodded at her to be patient. Holly rolled her eyes. _Patience. Boringgg._

"You're going on a quest?" Bilbo asked.

_Slow, like the rest of them_, Holly observed. She couldn't really expect any less from a hobbit, though, especially one who from the looks of it hadn't left his front gate in a couple of days.

"Aye, the portents say it is time. Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain,"Oin answered. "_When the birds of yore return to Erebor, the reign of the beast shall end_."

Holly raised an eyebrow. They were deciding to undertake a quest because of some birds? Honestly.

Bilbo's eyes widened. "Beast? What beast?"

"Well, that would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible," Bofur informed the hobbit lazily. The name sent a jolt of shivers down Holly's spine, which was ridiculous because it was just a name. It was just a name. "Chiefest and greatest calamity of our age. Teeth like razors, claws like meathooks-"

"Yes, I know what a dragon is," Bilbo cut him off, looking clearly uncomfortable.

"I must warn all of you: the task will be difficult enough with an army behind us. But we number just thirteen, and not thirteen of the best, nor the brightest."

_That's for sure_, Holly agreed silently.

"And the gate is sealed," Balin continued. "There is no way into the mountain."

"That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true." Gandalf pulled a key out of his sleeve with an air of what Holly supposed was supposed to be mystery.

Thorin's eyes widened. "How came you by this?"

"It was given to me by your father, Thrain, for safekeeping. It is yours now." The wizard handed Thorin the key.

"If there's a key, there must be a door!" Fili exclaimed.

_Obviously._ Holly gritted her teeth. This meeting was getting a bit tedious.

"The runes speak of a passage into the lower halls," Gandalf announced. "But I do not know where to find this passage. However, there are others in Middle Earth who may have the skill to read this map. The quest ahead of us will require a great deal of stealth, and no small amount of courage. If we are careful and clever, I believe it may be done."

"That's why we need a burglar!" Ori concluded.

All eyes turned to Bilbo, who said, "Hm. A good one too. An expert, I'd imagine."

"And are you?" Oin inquired, adjusting his ear trumpet.

Bilbo turned around to see if Oin had been asking someone else, then realized that the dwarf was asking him and turned back. "Am I what?"

"He said he's an expert! Hey hey!" Oin's comment comment caused several of the dwarves to laugh.

"W-what? Me? No, I'm not an expert! No!" Bilbo babbled.

"I'm afraid I'll have to agree with Mr. Baggins. He hardly seems like burglar material," Balin added.

All of the dwarves stood up and started arguing loudly. Holly raised her eyebrows.

"ENOUGH! IF I SAY BILBO BAGGINS IS A BURGLAR THEN A BURGLAR HE IS!" Gandalf boomed, his form seeming to grow taller.

"Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet and can pass unseen if they choose. And the smell of a hobbit would be all but unknown to a dragon. You have asked me to find a fourteenth member for our company and I have chosen Mister Baggins. There is a lot more to him than meets the eye."

"Fine. We'll do it your way," Thorin grumbled. "Give him the contract."

"No, no, no-"

Balin handed Bilbo an extremely long contract.

And then Thorin turned to stare at Holly. "Gandalf, what of the woman?"

"I am planning for her to accompany us as well, for my own reasons."

"What?" Thorin and Holly exclaimed at the same time. They looked at each other for an awkward second, then Thorin turned away.

Thorin spoke first. "Gandalf, I will not have a _woman _on this quest."

Holly twitched a little at the comment but turned to Gandalf instead. "And what makes you think I'm even willing to go on this journey?" It wasn't that she didn't want to go. She felt a strange longing to see the lost kingdom of Erebor. But there was nothing that annoyed her quite as much as someone bossing her around, especially someone like Gandalf.

"Both of you are acting like children!" Gandalf scolded. "I am the advisor of this trip and I strongly suggest that you take my advice!"

"Alright, I will go," Holly interrupted. "But it is _my _choice."

"I will not have a woman on this quest!" Thorin repeated angrily. "It is too dangerous, and she has not the skills that will allow her to survive! She will only be a burden!" And then he added, in a more subdued tone, "And I will not be responsible for her death."

Holly turned and frowned at Thorin. "Actually, I do have...skills..."

Thorin stared back. "How could a woman possibly prove herself worthy enough to survive this quest?"

She shifted uncomfortably under his intense stare. This was getting a bit out of hand…

"There will be time for that later. Her addition to the company is more than a simple matter of whether or not she can survive. In fact-"

"Excuse me," Bilbo interrupted. Everyone turned to look at him. Holly relaxed, grateful for the distraction The hobbit's eyes were trained on the contract in his hands and was staring at it in disbelief. "Sorry, but, er, it says here…" His brown eyes scanned the contract. "Um, present company shall not be liable for injuries inflicted by or sustained as a consequence thereof including but not limited to lacerations…" He glanced up at the group, attempting to sound out, "E-vi-sce-ra-tion…." He looked up again with an incredulous look while reading aloud, "_Incineration."_

_He must be new to this whole 'violence' thing_, Holly mused.

"There- there must be some sort of mistake," Bilbo continued.

"Oh no, laddie. Smaug'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye," Bofur interjected.

"Oh. Huh," Bilbo huffed, swaying on the spot a little.

"Y'alright, laddie?" Balin asked.

"Y-yeah, no, I feel a bit faint."

"Just think furnace with wings!" Bofur elaborated. Clearly he'd had too much ale.

"Air, I-I-I need air," Bilbo leaned over and put his hands on his knees.

"Flashing light, searing pain, then poof! you're nothing more than a pile of ash!" Bofur stood up and waved his pipe around. It was rather amusing to watch.

"Hmm." Bilbo seemed to be digesting this information. Then: "Nope."

And the poor hobbit collapsed, out cold.

Holly deftly snatched the contract out of Bilbo's hand as he fell and started skimming through it.

"O-kay. Anyone got a quill?"


	2. Mr Bilbo Baggins

**Chapter 2**

Thorin eventually consented to Holly's signing of the contract, and the dwarves dispersed throughout Bag End once more.

Holly picked up her book, ready to leave. She'd find an inn somewhere to stay the night, and meet up with the company in the morning.

Ori walked in and started searching the room, looking through cabinets and under furniture. "Oh dear. Have you seen my notebook?"

"Sorry?"

"My brother Nori seems to have hidden my notebook somewhere. Would you mind helping me find it?"

Holly looked around the room and pointed to a stack of books on the windowsill. "Try over there."

Ori pulled one of the books, a leather-bound tome, from the stack and grinned. "That's the one!" He turned to look at her curiously. "How'd you know it was over there?"

She shrugged in response. "Lucky guess?"

"Well, thank you, anyway. I really appreciate it." Ori shook her hand and left the room.

She stood there for a moment, then resolved to go find Gandalf. It wouldn't hurt to stay a little longer.

Holly thought she heard the wizard's voice in one of the sitting rooms. As she approached the entrance, she could also hear Bilbo speaking.

"Sorry, Gandalf. I can't sign this. You've got the wrong hobbit." He brushed past Holly and padded down the hallway towards his bedroom. She frowned at his retreating figure and walked into the room.

"Ah, Holly. How can I help you?" Gandalf greeted, stooped over due to the low hobbit ceilings.

"You know why I'm here. I need answers."

"Ah," Gandalf said again. "I see. All the answers you need will come in due time. For now, try to enjoy yourself while you can. Make friends with the company. You will most likely need them as allies in the future."

Holly sighed. "Oh, please. You're not my _mother,_ for Eru's sake. Do you need anything else before I leave?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you would go talk to Bilbo and try to convince him to sign the contract. I do think this adventure will do more good than he knows."

She rolled her eyes. "Might as well. I'll try to do a better job than you have." She left the room and went to go find Bilbo.

…

Bilbo plopped down onto his bed and sighed. _An adventure! And dwarves! In his house! _He'd been expecting a quiet, untroubled night, like every other night he'd had since… forever, it seemed.

Every night, it was the same routine.

That was true for the rest of his day, too. Except for Sundays, when he went to the market. And he always made sure to sweep the chimneys on Wednesdays-

"Mind if I come in?"

It was the girl from before… Holly, was it? She was rather short, for an adult human. Her facial features were sharp, almost unpleasantly so, which contrasted with her soft, curly dark hair.

"Can I help you?" Bilbo asked tiredly.

Holly shrugged and sat down in one of the chairs across from his bed. "Gandalf asked me to persuade you to sign the contract."

Bilbo frowned. "Well… don't trouble yourself. You don't have to-"

"That's alright. I enjoy a challenge." Holly sat back and smirked.

"Erm… okay."

"So, I suppose you feel quite comfortable in your home, here in the Shire."

Bilbo nodded, wondering where this was going.

Holly looked around with a smile. "It's a nice place."

"Thank you."

"Did you do it yourself?"

"Listen, I don't mean to be rude, but _why _are you… here?"

"Gandalf invited me."

"_No, _I mean, why are you going on an adventure with a group of strangers?"

Holly shrugged. "Why aren't you? What's stopping you from going to see Erebor?" Her eyes lit up. "Just imagine getting to see one of the greatest dwarf kingdoms in Middle Earth, and one of the most economically advanced civilizations…"

"But there's a dragon living inside Erebor."

"True. But it's really more about the journey, not the destination, isn't it? When was the last time you camped out under the stars? Listened to the sounds of insects in the night? Took even a small risk?" Holly suppressed a snicker. Any sound-minded person would listen to logic, yet here she was, spouting poetry. And the silly hobbit was soaking it all in; she could see it in his eyes.

Bilbo didn't see Holly's lips twitch. He was thinking about how he used to run about the Shire when he was younger, pretending to have adventures. Somewhere in his house, the dwarves were singing another song, this one low, haunting, and strangely moving.

"Have you ever seen the Misty Mountains?" Holly continued. "It's a long row of snowy peaks, and just seeing it makes you feel so _alive._ And I bet you've never been to Rivendell. It's an Elven city near the Misty Mountains. Probably the most magical place I've ever been to. There are glowing waterfalls, trees with leaves of orange, green and gold, and the architecture… all arches and broad, pristine buildings…"

The hobbit felt a strange exhilaration in his chest as something Tookish awoke inside of him. _I must be mad_, Bilbo thought as he stared out of his bedroom window. Yet, he couldn't stop thinking about the prospect of going on an actual adventure.

"I'll leave you to think about it," Holly said, rising from the chair and leaving the bedroom. She was confident that she'd done her job well.

The only thing left to do now was wait.

**In the next chapter actual things will happen. Nonetheless I hope you enjoyed this one! We find out a little more about Holly and her inner thinkings. And thanks for the lovely response I got from Samuel La Flame and drwatsonn. It's good to know that there are some intelligent people on this site. I'd definitely recommend checking out their profiles; both have written some amazing Tolkien-verse fics!**

**Until next time!**


	3. On the Great East Road

**Chapter 3**

_There was a dimly lit cavern and piles, mountains, of gold. The walls and pillars were carved from a black-green stone that stretched into the shadows above._

_It was so silent…_

Holly jerked awake, heart pounding. Had she fallen asleep? The world was rocking back and forth ever so slightly - ah. Right. She was on a pony, riding to meet Thorin's Company. She sat up straighter, rubbing one eye, then the other. How strange. She never fell asleep without meaning to.

Eventually she saw the dwarves up ahead on the path. They were riding slowly, in single file.

When she reached the back of the line, she said, "Um. Hi…"

The dwarves turned around.

"Glad to see you could make it, lass!" Balin greeted. 'Lass'… she doubted he remembered her actual name.

"Where is the hobbit?" Thorin demanded.

_Nice to see you too, Lord Dark-and-Broody._ "I don't know. Probably overslept."

"Fine," Thorin grumbled. "Keep moving."

Holly glanced back at the way she'd come. _That hobbit better hurry up…_

They'd been traveling for about fifteen minutes when:

"WAIT!"

Everyone turned around again.

"WAAIIT!"

And who should come sprinting (struggling, really) down the worn path but Bilbo Baggins, the contract in his hand flapping in the wind.

"I signed it," the hobbit panted, thrusting the contract at Balin.

"Well, everything seems to be in order. Welcome to the Company of Thorin Oakenshield, Bilbo Baggins."

"Dammit, I should have bet on this," Holly said softly.

Apparently a few of the dwarves had the same idea; most of them were tossing sacks of coins to one another.

"Come on, Nori! Pay up!" Oin said.

Nori tossed a bag of coins to Oin, then moved his horse up next to Holly's.

"Did you think he was going to come?"

"Hm?"

"Did you think the hobbit was going to show up?"

"Oh, I knew he was going to show up."

"Why? Didja bribe him?" Nori asked with a cheeky wink that suggested he was _not _talking about money.

Red patches flared up her neck and onto her cheeks. "_Excuse me_?"

The dwarf held his hands up in surrender. "Calm down lass, I was just joking!"

"I'd assume anything Nori here says is a joke," Bofur butted in good-naturedly, moving his pony between Nori's and Holly's. "If there's anything you need to know, lass, it's that Nori is just one big joke." The dwarf in question grinned at her, not bothered at all by Bofur's comments.

"Please call me Holly. 'Lass' makes me sound like some... moony-eyed barmaid."

The two dwarves laughed at her statement. Holly smiled a little. Perhaps dwarves weren't _entirely_ unbearable.

….

A scream like knives on glass ripped through the air.

Bilbo jolted violently at the sound, nearly dropping the apple he was feeding to his pony Myrtle. He tip-toed over to where the rest of the Company was resting.

"What was that?" he hissed.

"Orcs," Kili answered.

Another scream. Bilbo's face paled considerably in the firelight. "Orcs?"

"Throat-cutters," Fili clarified, his face grim. "There'll be dozens of them out there. The lowlands are crawling with them."

"They strike in the wee small hours, when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet; no screams, just lots of blood," Kili added solemnly.

Bilbo turned away, horrified. Fili and Kili exchanged a glance, smirking and giggling.

Holly rested her chin on her palm, having been woken by the screaming. Apparently they were trying to scare the hobbit with creepy orc stories. _Hilarious._

"You think that's funny?" Thorin growled, standing up. "You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?"

Kili bowed his head, the very image of a scolded puppy. "We didn't mean anything by it."

"No you didn't. You know nothing of the world," Thorin said bitterly, walking off.

"Eru, what a mood killer," Holly murmured.

"Don't mind him. Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs," Balin said softly.

_Oh, good. This sounds like a very long, boring backstory._

"After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But the enemy had gotten there first…"

Thorin could hear Balin talking about the Battle of Azanulbizar. Just the thought of it brought back a flood of bloodstained memories. The loss of his brother, his grandfather, and his father weighed heavily on his heart. Azog's twisted, sadistic smile flashed in his vision, making the dwarf flinch.

"And the pale orc? What happened to him?" Bilbo asked.

"That filth died of his wounds long ago," Thorin growled, walking back into the camp. He forced himself to relax a little. He would never have to face that nightmarish beast again.

Holly sighed and shifted on her bedroll. _Finally, those dwarves are done talking. Thought I'd never get any sleep._

Bilbo took one last look at Thorin before settling down as well. He'd felt a surge of sympathy for the dwarf while hearing the tale. Although he'd seemed like a bit of a stick in the mud at first, Bilbo could see now see the reason behind Thorin's sharp glances and hunched shoulders. He'd lost almost everything. As the hobbit drifted off to sleep, he resolved to stick with the company for at least most of the way, and help them get back at least some of what they had lost.

…..

"Put your hood on, dear, or you'll catch a cold," Dori insisted, pulling his own tighter around his head to ward off the steady downpour that was currently assaulting the company.

"Oh. All right. Thank you." Holly drew her hood about her head, wincing as the pool of water that had collected there dumped itself into her hair. She'd quite honestly forgotten to do so earlier. It was so much easier to devote herself to her thoughts _indoors_, when she didn't have to be constantly bothered by nuisances like the weather.

"Mister Gandalf, can't you do something about this deluge?" Dori called to the gray wizard at the front of the line.

"It is raining, Master Dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world, you would be best off finding another wizard."

_Why am I not surprised? _Holly raised an eyebrow. Maybe the only requirements for being a wizard were a staff and a robe, and the magical powers were something you had to actually work for.

"Are there any?" Bilbo inquired.

"What?"

"Other wizards?"

"There are five of us. The greatest of our order is Saruman, the White. Then there are the two Blue Wizards, though I've quite forgotten their names."

"Alatar and Pallando."

"Hm?" Gandalf turned around.

Holly maneuvered her pony closer to the wizard's mount. "Those are the names of the Blue Wizards. The ones that you forgot about."

"Ah, yes. Thank you."

"And who is the fifth?" Bilbo asked.

"Well, that would be Radagast the Brown."

"Is he a great wizard or is he… more like you?"

Holly snorted with laughter, clapping a hand over her mouth.

Gandalf looked slightly offended. "I think he is a great wizard, in his own way. He prefers the company of woodland creatures to others. He resides in the forest to the east and seeks to protect it. And a good thing, too, for evil will always try to find a foothold in this world."

Holly let her pony fall back in the line again, bored. Beside her, Ori gave a loud yawn.

"I hope we take a break soon. I stayed up way past my bedtime last night."

_He has a bedtime? _"Well, perhaps if Balin hadn't been keeping us up with that story, we all would've gotten more sleep."  
"I thought it was a nice story," Ori responded. "Don't you think Balin is a good story teller?"

Holly shrugged. "Maybe. I tuned it out, a bit. Something about orcs and people getting beheaded. Not really worth my time."

"Oh." Ori nodded.

_Marvelous, Holly. Such marvelous social skills.  
_They rode on in silence.


	4. Bilbo Baggins Shows What He Can Do

**Chapter 4**

Bilbo did end up catching a cold from the rain, due to his lack of a cloak. Other than that and an incident in which Fili and Kili accidentally led an angry bear into the camp, things had been going smoothly for the past few days.

They'd stopped to set up camp at an abandoned farm.

"We'll camp here for the night," Thorin announced.

"Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them." Thorin sent a meaningful glance towards his nephews that conveyed a message somewhere along the lines of, 'Do not lead any more bears into the camp or I will disown you.'

Gandalf strode up to the top of the hill, where a half-destroyed farmhouse had been built. "A farmer and his family used to live here," the wizard muttered, inspecting the ruins.

"Used to." Holly glanced around the house as well. "Looks like they left in a hurry."

The wizard nodded thoughtfully. "There is still time before nightfall. Perhaps we should move on." He turned to Thorin. "We could make for the Hidden Valley."

Thorin's gaze darkened. "I have told you already, I will not go near that place."

"And I am telling you to reconsider. We could get rest, food, advice," Gandalf argued.

"I do not need their advice."

"We have a map that we cannot read. Lord Elrond may be able to help us."

"Help? A dragon attacks Erebor, what help came from the elves? Orcs plunder Moria, desecrate our sacred halls, and the elves looked on and did nothing. You ask me to seek out the very people who betrayed my father and my grandfather?"

"You are neither of them!" Gandalf waved his staff. "I did not give you that map and key to hold on to the past."

"I did not know they were yours to keep," Thorin growled.

Without another word, Gandalf stormed down the hill, leaving the camp.

"Where are you going?" Bilbo asked, looking a bit lost.

"To seek the company of the only one with the slightest bit of sense among us!"

"And who's that?"

"Myself, Mr. Baggins!"

_Rude_.

Holly turned back to Thorin. "I'm not inclined to head to Rivendell either, but we should move on."

His blue-eyed gaze met hers. "Why do you say that?"

"It's a bit obvious. This house was built one, two years ago, yet half of it is already gone. And don't you think it's a bit odd that the majority of the furniture is _outside_ the house?" She pointed down the hill, to where a broken chair was lying.

Thorin shook his head. "It's too late in the day to look for another spot to set up camp. We will stay here."

"Thorin, there's something out there," Holly persisted.

He gave an intimidating glare, his posture becoming adamant, stubborn. "Almost everyone in this company is perfectly capable of defending themselves. If you are discouraged by the thought of danger, then you should not have come." He walked back to the rest of the company. "Come on, Bombur, we're hungry."

Holly scowled. This dwarf was going to get all of them killed.

….

Night dropped its dark blanket over the sky, and no creatures (bears or otherwise) attacked the camp. Bombur had made a nice stew after they'd all decided that Gandalf was not coming back anytime soon and it would useless to wait for him, and Bofur was serving it into wooden bowls.

"Do us a favor and take these to the lads." Bofur handed two bowls to Bilbo. "And these are for you and Bilbo." Another two bowls were handed to Holly. The pair of them set off towards the woods, where Fili and Kili were looking after the ponies.

Bilbo sniffled and gave a little cough, making sure to turn his head away from the stew.

"How's your cold?" Holly inquired.

"I'm managing. Would be a bit more bearable if I had a handkerchief…" The two of them laughed at that. Bilbo had made a bit of a fuss earlier that week due to the fact that he'd forgotten his handkerchief, only to be ridiculed by most of the dwarves. He was handling the humiliation really well, though. Or better than Holly would have, at any rate.

They found Fili and Kili standing in the woods, staring into space. Bilbo tried to offer them their stew, but to no avail. He looked over at Holly, confused.

"Perhaps their brains have stopped working," she explained. "It was bound to happen sometime."

Bilbo turned back to the brothers. "Is something wrong?"

Kili finally spoke. "We're supposed to be looking after the ponies."

"Only, we have a slight problem," Fili continued.

"Just one problem? You sure?" Holly quipped.

"We had sixteen."

"Now there's fourteen."

"You sure you can count correctly?"

Bilbo shot her a look.

"Daisy and Bungo are missing," Kili observed.

"Well, that's not good. That's not good at all. Should we tell Thorin?"

"No, let's not worry him," Fili said a little too quickly.

_Don't want to upset your dear uncle, I see._

"As our official burglar, we thought you might want to take a look into it."

Bilbo observed an uprooted tree a few feet away. "Well, uh…it looks like something uprooted these trees. Probably something big."

_Genius! Pure genius!_

Holly handed the stew to Fili and stepped closer, taking in the splintered trunk, the large clods of dirt hanging onto the roots. She smacked her forehead. "Oh, stupid! Of course!" She started striding deeper into the forest.

"Holly? What is it?" Bilbo called.

"Trolls!"

….

Several hours had come and gone and she'd seen no sign of Fili, Kili, or Bilbo. Holly had gone to investigate the forest and had found the trolls' cave but none of them had elected to follow her, apparently.

After deciding the cave wasn't worth investigating at the moment (neither was the smell) she went to go find the others.

She found Bilbo hiding behind some bushes at the edge of a clearing. The rest of the company were tied up in sacks and piled in a corner next to a crude corrall that held four of their ponies. In the center of the clearing, three trolls were arguing about how to cook their captives.

"Don't bother cooking them! Let's just sit on them and squash them into jelly!"

"I think they should be sauteéd and grilled with a sprinkle of sage."

"Oh for Eru's sake," Holly muttered, moving next to Bilbo and making him jump. "How did this happen?"

"It's a long story," he muttered.

"Are you going to help them?"

Bilbo gaped at her. "How do you expect _me _to rescue thirteen dwarves from a group of trolls?"

She glanced up at the sky, then gave Bilbo a half-smirk. "You underestimate yourself. Just distract them for a while, I'm sure you can do that without passing out."

Before the hobbit could reply, Holly shoved him into the clearing, and he was immediately snatched up by one of the trolls.

"Ay, the burglarobbit's back!" it exclaimed.

Bilbo stammered absolute nonsense for a while, sheer terror eclipsing his outrage.

The troll gave him a little shake. "What'd you come back for, eh? Tryna save your friends?"

Bilbo caught a glimpse of Holly giving him a prompting glare from the shadows.

_Distract them, _she mouthed.

"Eh- I, erm. I came to tell you that, um, you are making a terrible mistake!" he finally managed to produce coherent words.

"You can't reason with them, they're half wits!" Dori shouted.

"Half wits? What does that make us?" Bofur retorted.

Bilbo's heart was pounding so loudly he could barely hear the others. "I mean, you're making a mistake with, uh, with the, uh, seasoning."

The troll holding Bilbo squinted suspiciously. "What about the seasoning?"

"Well, have you smelt them? You're going to need something stronger than sage if you're going to eat this lot."

Several of the dwarves yelled in outrage. Holly gritted her teeth, hoping this would work out. These dwarves could be plain _idiots_.

"I-in fact, the true secret to cooking dwarves is to… skin them first!" Bilbo was feeling a bit more confident in his diversion, despite the fact that the Company was protesting vehemently from their sacks.

Bilbo continued rambling on for a bit about seasoning and then was forced to convince the trolls that the dwarves were infected with parasites when one of them tried to eat Bombur. He was beginning to wonder how long exactly was he supposed to carry on with this when a loud voice boomed:

"The dawn will take you all!"

Everyone turned to where Gandalf was positioned on a boulder. He raised his staff and cracked it down upon the boulder, splitting it in half and flooding the clearing with sunlight.

The trolls shrieked, the one holding Bilbo dropping him. They all cowered and writhed, their skin flaking and crackling until the three monsters had stiffened into stone. The dwarves cheered, victorious (if you could call it that).

Bilbo, Holly, and Gandalf helped the others out of their sacks.

"'Perfectly capable of defending yourself', I see," Holly murmured as she knelt down to help Thorin. The dwarf scowled but said nothing.

….

Once everyone had been freed, Ori explained to Holly that Bilbo had tried rescuing the ponies but gotten caught instead, forcing the dwarves to come to his aid. Ori refused to tell her how, but the dwarves ended up getting captured and Bilbo escaped unnoticed.

Holly showed them the cave she'd found, and once the dwarves found it was filled with gold and weapons, they all forgot that they'd spent the whole night _not sleeping_ and pillaged the cave.

Feeling a bit satisfied with how things had turned out, Holly decided she might as well tell Bilbo he did a good job. He'd been rather clever with his diversion.

She told him this, and received a glare in return.

"Have you no respect for other people's safety?" He shifted and cleared his throat. "I could have died back there."

"But you didn't." She pointed out. That was rather obvious.

He sighed, exasperated with her for some reason. "I thought I was going to get eaten by trolls," he told her simply.

Come to think of it, he had looked a bit terrified when the troll had grabbed him. But that was his _job _as a burglar, wasn't' it? Holly would've done the work herself but wasn't really the confrontational type.

"Well, I am sorry if my actions frightened you. If such a situation arises again, I'll try to enlist the help of someone who will not be afraid," she said flatly.

That seemed like a fair offer to her, but all she received in reply was an icy, "Okay, fine."

Holly watched the retreating hobbit's figure. She supposed she'd never understand hobbits.

Or anyone else, for that matter.


	5. A Flight for Life

**Chapter 4**

Bilbo did end up catching a cold from the rain, due to his lack of a cloak. Other than that and an incident in which Fili and Kili accidentally led an angry bear into the camp, things had been going smoothly for the past few days.

They'd stopped to set up camp at an abandoned farm.

"We'll camp here for the night," Thorin announced.

"Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them." Thorin sent a meaningful glance towards his nephews that conveyed a message somewhere along the lines of, 'Do not lead any more bears into the camp or I will disown you.'

Gandalf strode up to the top of the hill, where a half-destroyed farmhouse had been built. "A farmer and his family used to live here," the wizard muttered, inspecting the ruins.

"Used to." Holly glanced around the house as well. "Looks like they left in a hurry."

The wizard nodded thoughtfully. "There is still time before nightfall. Perhaps we should move on." He turned to Thorin. "We could make for the Hidden Valley."

Thorin's gaze darkened. "I have told you already, I will not go near that place."

"And I am telling you to reconsider. We could get rest, food, advice," Gandalf argued.

"I do not need their advice."

"We have a map that we cannot read. Lord Elrond may be able to help us."

"Help? A dragon attacks Erebor, what help came from the elves? Orcs plunder Moria, desecrate our sacred halls, and the elves looked on and did nothing. You ask me to seek out the very people who betrayed my father and my grandfather?"

"You are neither of them!" Gandalf waved his staff. "I did not give you that map and key to hold on to the past."

"I did not know they were yours to keep," Thorin growled.

Without another word, Gandalf stormed down the hill, leaving the camp.

"Where are you going?" Bilbo asked, looking a bit lost.

"To seek the company of the only one with the slightest bit of sense among us!"

"And who's that?"

"Myself, Mr. Baggins!"

_Rude_.

Holly turned back to Thorin. "I'm not inclined to head to Rivendell either, but we should move on."

His blue-eyed gaze met hers. "Why do you say that?"

"It's a bit obvious. This house was built one, two years ago, yet half of it is already gone. And don't you think it's a bit odd that the majority of the furniture is _outside_ the house?" She pointed down the hill, to where a broken chair was lying.

Thorin shook his head. "It's too late in the day to look for another spot to set up camp. We will stay here."

"Thorin, there's something out there," Holly persisted.

He gave an intimidating glare, his posture becoming adamant, stubborn. "Almost everyone in this company is perfectly capable of defending themselves. If you are discouraged by the thought of danger, then you should not have come." He walked back to the rest of the company. "Come on, Bombur, we're hungry."

Holly scowled. This dwarf was going to get all of them killed.

….

Night dropped its dark blanket over the sky, and no creatures (bears or otherwise) attacked the camp. Bombur had made a nice stew after they'd all decided that Gandalf was not coming back anytime soon and it would useless to wait for him, and Bofur was serving it into wooden bowls.

"Do us a favor and take these to the lads." Bofur handed two bowls to Bilbo. "And these are for you and Bilbo." Another two bowls were handed to Holly. The pair of them set off towards the woods, where Fili and Kili were looking after the ponies.

Bilbo sniffled and gave a little cough, making sure to turn his head away from the stew.

"How's your cold?" Holly inquired.

"I'm managing. Would be a bit more bearable if I had a handkerchief…" The two of them laughed at that. Bilbo had made a bit of a fuss earlier that week due to the fact that he'd forgotten his handkerchief, only to be ridiculed by most of the dwarves. He was handling the humiliation really well, though. Or better than Holly would have, at any rate.

They found Fili and Kili standing in the woods, staring into space. Bilbo tried to offer them their stew, but to no avail. He looked over at Holly, confused.

"Perhaps their brains have stopped working," she explained. "It was bound to happen sometime."

Bilbo turned back to the brothers. "Is something wrong?"

Kili finally spoke. "We're supposed to be looking after the ponies."

"Only, we have a slight problem," Fili continued.

"Just one problem? You sure?" Holly quipped.

"We had sixteen."

"Now there's fourteen."

"You sure you can count correctly?"

Bilbo shot her a look.

"Daisy and Bungo are missing," Kili observed.

"Well, that's not good. That's not good at all. Should we tell Thorin?"

"No, let's not worry him," Fili said a little too quickly.

_Don't want to upset your dear uncle, I see._

"As our official burglar, we thought you might want to take a look into it."

Bilbo observed an uprooted tree a few feet away. "Well, uh…it looks like something uprooted these trees. Probably something big."

_Genius! Pure genius!_

Holly handed the stew to Fili and stepped closer, taking in the splintered trunk, the large clods of dirt hanging onto the roots. She smacked her forehead. "Oh, stupid! Of course!" She started striding deeper into the forest.

"Holly? What is it?" Bilbo called.

"Trolls!"

….

Several hours had come and gone and she'd seen no sign of Fili, Kili, or Bilbo. Holly had gone to investigate the forest and had found the trolls' cave but none of them had elected to follow her, apparently.

After deciding the cave wasn't worth investigating at the moment (neither was the smell) she went to go find the others.

She found Bilbo hiding behind some bushes at the edge of a clearing. The rest of the company were tied up in sacks and piled in a corner next to a crude corrall that held four of their ponies. In the center of the clearing, three trolls were arguing about how to cook their captives.

"Don't bother cooking them! Let's just sit on them and squash them into jelly!"

"I think they should be sauteéd and grilled with a sprinkle of sage."

"Oh for Eru's sake," Holly muttered, moving next to Bilbo and making him jump. "How did this happen?"

"It's a long story," he muttered.

"Are you going to help them?"

Bilbo gaped at her. "How do you expect _me _to rescue thirteen dwarves from a group of trolls?"

She glanced up at the sky, then gave Bilbo a half-smirk. "You underestimate yourself. Just distract them for a while, I'm sure you can do that without passing out."

Before the hobbit could reply, Holly shoved him into the clearing, and he was immediately snatched up by one of the trolls.

"Ay, the burglarobbit's back!" it exclaimed.

Bilbo stammered absolute nonsense for a while, sheer terror eclipsing his outrage.

The troll gave him a little shake. "What'd you come back for, eh? Tryna save your friends?"

Bilbo caught a glimpse of Holly giving him a prompting glare from the shadows.

_Distract them, _she mouthed.

"Eh- I, erm. I came to tell you that, um, you are making a terrible mistake!" he finally managed to produce coherent words.

"You can't reason with them, they're half wits!" Dori shouted.

"Half wits? What does that make us?" Bofur retorted.

Bilbo's heart was pounding so loudly he could barely hear the others. "I mean, you're making a mistake with, uh, with the, uh, seasoning."

The troll holding Bilbo squinted suspiciously. "What about the seasoning?"

"Well, have you smelt them? You're going to need something stronger than sage if you're going to eat this lot."

Several of the dwarves yelled in outrage. Holly gritted her teeth, hoping this would work out. These dwarves could be plain _idiots_.

"I-in fact, the true secret to cooking dwarves is to… skin them first!" Bilbo was feeling a bit more confident in his diversion, despite the fact that the Company was protesting vehemently from their sacks.

Bilbo continued rambling on for a bit about seasoning and then was forced to convince the trolls that the dwarves were infected with parasites when one of them tried to eat Bombur. He was beginning to wonder how long exactly was he supposed to carry on with this when a loud voice boomed:

"The dawn will take you all!"

Everyone turned to where Gandalf was positioned on a boulder. He raised his staff and cracked it down upon the boulder, splitting it in half and flooding the clearing with sunlight.

The trolls shrieked, the one holding Bilbo dropping him. They all cowered and writhed, their skin flaking and crackling until the three monsters had stiffened into stone. The dwarves cheered, victorious (if you could call it that).

Bilbo, Holly, and Gandalf helped the others out of their sacks.

"'Perfectly capable of defending yourself', I see," Holly murmured as she knelt down to help Thorin. The dwarf scowled but said nothing.

….

Once everyone had been freed, Ori explained to Holly that Bilbo had tried rescuing the ponies but gotten caught instead, forcing the dwarves to come to his aid. Ori refused to tell her how, but the dwarves ended up getting captured and Bilbo escaped unnoticed.

Holly showed them the cave she'd found, and once the dwarves found it was filled with gold and weapons, they all forgot that they'd spent the whole night _not sleeping_ and pillaged the cave.

Feeling a bit satisfied with how things had turned out, Holly decided she might as well tell Bilbo he did a good job. He'd been rather clever with his diversion.

She told him this, and received a glare in return.

"Have you no respect for other people's safety?" He shifted and cleared his throat. "I could have died back there."

"But you didn't." She pointed out. That was rather obvious.

He sighed, exasperated with her for some reason. "I thought I was going to get eaten by trolls," he told her simply.

Come to think of it, he had looked a bit terrified when the troll had grabbed him. But that was his _job _as a burglar, wasn't' it? Holly would've done the work herself but wasn't really the confrontational type.

"Well, I am sorry if my actions frightened you. If such a situation arises again, I'll try to enlist the help of someone who will not be afraid," she said flatly.

That seemed like a fair offer to her, but all she received in reply was an icy, "Okay, fine."

Holly watched the retreating hobbit's figure. She supposed she'd never understand hobbits.

Or anyone else, for that matter.


	6. The Statement of the Problem

**Chapter 6**

Thorin stepped forward and pried the arrow from the orc's neck.

"Elves," he muttered in disgust, throwing it down.

"I cannot see where the path leads," Dwalin called from the back of the cave, or rather, tunnel. "Do we follow it or not?"

"Follow it, of course!" Bofur responded. It appeared that none of the dwarves were eager to see if the elves were still present in the field above.

They maneuvered their way through the narrow rocky passage. Soon, they could hear the sound of water running, and the passage opened into a large valley.

Bilbo gave a small, "Oh," at the same time that Holly let out a curse. The others stared at the full trees, flowing waterfalls, and pristine architecture of Rivendell.

"The Valley of Imladris," Gandalf announced. "Known by another name in the common tongue."

"Rivendell," Bilbo supplied.

"I'd no idea these beardless gits lived somewhere other than in the trees," Gloin muttered.

"You think the Elves will give our quest their blessing?" Thorin snapped to Gandalf. "They will try to stop us."

"Of course they will. But we have questions that need to be answered. If we are to be successful, this will need to be handled with tact, respect, and no small degree of charm. Which is why you will leave the talking to me." Gandalf sent a pointed look at Holly. She glared.

The Company trudged down the cliffside and over a stone walkway that led to what appeared to be the main courtyard. Bilbo was absolutely awed by the architecture as well as the ethereal glow that surrounded the trees, the buildings—even the air seemed to be infused with an aura of health and tranquility.

They milled about in the courtyard, waiting for further instruction from Gandalf. Most of the dwarves were formulating insults they knew would never be used. Dwalin moved next to Thorin and gave him a sideways glance and a nod.

"Mithrandir!" everyone turned to the source of the voice: a dark-haired elf descending one of the stairs leading into the courtyard.

"Ah! Lindir!" Gandalf greeted. The dwarves stared with mistrust at the newcomer. Holly recognized the elf; she'd seen him a few times during her previous stay and hoped that he did not recognize her. She inched to the side so that she was partially hidden behind Dwalin.

"I must speak with Lord Elrond," Gandalf continued.

"My Lord Elrond is not here."

Perhaps luck was actually on her side. If they managed to leave Rivendell before Elrond returned…

"Not returned?" Gandalf inquired. "Where is he?"

And then the same horns they had heard back in the cave sounded, accompanied by the crescendo of approaching hoofbeats.

No, of course she couldn't be that lucky.

"Ifridî bekâr!" Thorin shouted, as the dwarves began to condense into a tighter group. "Close ranks!"

Holly let herself be pulled into the middle of the group. Maybe she could hide from the elves for the entirety of their stay. It wasn't too late to run, was it?

The mounted elves began to ride in circles around their group, causing some of them to growl and brandish their weapons. They finally halted and one of their number dismounted, greeting Gandalf as he did so.

"Lord Elrond!" Gandalf replied. Holly ducked her head a little.

"Mellonnin! Mo evíedh?" Gandalf replied.

"Farannem 'lamhoth i udul o charad. Dagannem rim na Iant Vedui," Elrond replied.

"What are they saying?" Dori hissed.

"They were the ones hunting the orcs that were chasing us," Holly summarized softly.

"It is strange for orcs to come so close to our borders," Elrond said, switching effortlessly to Westron. "Something, or someone, has drawn them near."

"Ah, that may have been us," Gandalf admitted with the appropriate amount of sheepishness.

Then the two turned their focus to the glowering group in the middle of the courtyard. Thorin stepped forward, faithfully flanked by Dwalin and Nori.

"Welcome, Thorin, son of Thrain," Elrond acknowledge him, his expression neutral.

"I do not believe we have met," Thorin said in lieu of a greeting.

"You have your grandfather's bearing," Elrond replied evenly. "I knew him when he ruled under the mountain."  
"He made no mention of you." Thorin was apparently intent on burning every bridge of goodwill that Elrond was extending to him. Holly could almost smell the smoke.

Elrond simply stared at Thorin for a moment, then spoke slowly, "Nartho i noer, toltho i viruvor. Boe i annam vann a nethail vin."

"What is he saying?" Gloin growled, stepping forward. "Does he offer us insult?!" Holly was torn between rolling her eyes and laughing. The others cried in outrage, moving forward as well.

"No, Master Gloin, he is offering you food," Gandalf supplied before a full-on brawl could commence.

The dwarves retreated back into a huddle, and after a quick discussion, Gloin answered in a more civil tone, "Ah, well...in that case, lead on."

As they were led to the dining area, Elrond cast Holly a knowing glance, but said nothing, for which she was immeasurably grateful.

Not to say she wasn't dreading the conversation that was sure to follow.

…

Dinner at Rivendell was considerably more refined than the party at Bag End. Given the apparent grudge between dwarf and elf, Holly was expecting purposeful antagonization from the former.

Poor Bilbo looked as if he was going to fall asleep right into his dinner. The dwarves seemed to be holding up all right, being a hardy race, and even Holly didn't feel quite as exhausted as she should have been.

"Where's the meat?" Dwalin grumbled, studying a fistful of the various greens they'd been served. Oin stared in confusion at an onion impaled on his butter knife. Holly vaguely wondered if these dwarves even knew what vegetables _were_.

"I can't say I fancy elf maids myself," Kili was saying to Dwalin, trying to act like he hadn't been flirting with the elven woman playing the harp on the other side of the dining area. "Too thin. They're all high cheekbones and creamy skin. Not enough facial hair for me." Bofur nodded in agreement. "Although…" Kili gestured to an elf behind him. "That one there's not bad."

Holly glanced at Kili's goblet. Was there something in the wine that was making him see things?

Dwalin leaned forward and informed him, "That's not an elf maid."

Kili did a double take as everyone laughed. Realization dawned and he stared at Dwalin with wide eyes. "An honest mistake!" he protested as Bofur nudged him, still laughing.

"What about you, Miss Holly?" Bofur asked, leaning around Kili so he could talk to the young woman. "You see any attractive elves here? Elf men, I mean." That last comment earned a chuckle from the others at their table.

She frowned. "Who do I find attractive? That's not really…my area." Bofur and the others stared, confused by her answer. "I mean, what would it matter if I _did_ find one of them attractive?" she tried to clarify.

"Okay, then," Bofur finally said. "Fair enough."  
Holly turned back to her dinner. Clearly, none of the dwarves understood what she was saying. They probably thought she was very odd.

She watched Nori subtly slip a silver fork into his coat. He noticed her staring and winked. And she was apparently the odd one…

"Change the tune, why don't you?" Nori said to one of the harpists. "I feel like I'm at a funeral!"  
"Did somebody die?" Oin asked. Somehow a napkin had found its way into his ear trumpet.

"All right, lads, there's only one thing for it!" Bofur chimed in, rising from his seat. With a loud clatter, he climbed up onto a pedestal in the middle of the area. The elves stopped playing their instruments as he began to sing:

_There's an inn, there's an inn, _

_there's a merry old inn_

_Beneath the old gray hill_

_And there they brew a beer so brown_

_The man on the moon himself came down_

_One night to drink his fill_

The other dwarves laughed and joined in, banging the table in time to the song.

_Oh, the ostler has a tipsy cat_

_that plays a five-stringed fiddle;_

_And up and down he runs his bow,_

_Now squeaking high, now purring low,_

_Now sawing in the middle._

Inevitably, food became airborne, eliciting several disturbed glares from the elves.

Definitely, Holly was the odd one of the bunch.

…

Lord Elrond of Rivendell was a skillful warrior, one of the wisest elves in Middle Earth, and the guardian of the Last Homely House east of the sea.

So naturally, the first thing Holly said to him was, "All right, I apologize for running away, but I don't…I don't exactly want to die yet."

"My intention was never to kill you, Holly," the elf lord answered calmly. "But I fear your…condition could have dire consequences for all of Middle Earth."

"Of course it does," Holly grumbled.

"Gandalf and I are here to helpyou," Elrond continued. "And if you will please explain your situation to him, we may be able to come up with a more...agreeable solution."

Holly took a deep breath, glancing at the wizard.

"You've put this off long enough," Elrond pressed.

Which must have been why they were having this discussion at such an unreasonable hour of the night.

"Okay. Fine. I just…strange things had been happening while I'd been in Gondor, and before that, actually—"

"What sort of strange things?" Gandalf questioned.

"Just nightmares and…things…" Holly mumbled, then continued at a normal volume. "So I ended up going to Rivendell to seek advice. And Elrond said I had a…ah…" She found that she could not complete the sentence. She struggled for words. It wasn't as if she was _emotional_, she was never emotional…

"There is a dark power inside her, Gandalf," Elrond continued, rescuing her from further turmoil. "It appears to be some form of dark magic, the kind used by mages. Though I have not seen a mage in a very long time."

"I have sensed it too," the wizard said. That was new information. Did that have to do with why he'd chosen her to join Thorin's Company on their journey?

"It does not appear that she can access it in any way. It is almost as if she is… containing it. And it has grown since I last saw her." The elf spared a glance at the young woman. More new information. Holly felt cold dread slide down her spine. Growing? What would happen if it kept growing?  
"Is there any way to get rid of it?" Gandalf asked. Holly sighed. She already knew the answer to this one.

"It is…linked to her soul," Elrond explained. "If we were to find a way to destroy it, she would not survive the process."

Gandalf looked at Holly, his gaze softening. She looked away. She didn't need his pity. He averted his eyes back to Elrond. "I am willing to keep an eye on her situation while I help Thorin's Company on their journey."

The elf raised an eyebrow. "She is going with them to reclaim Erebor?"

So they'd already discussed the true nature of their quest. Holly wondered if Elrond had agreed to help them read the map.

Gandalf gave a pointed look. "I feel that she may also tie in with what their goal is."

Elrond nodded, clearly trusting the wizard's intuition. "Very well. But if anything goes wrong…" He reached into his robes and withdrew a vial full of white liquid and handed it to Holly. "It will be quick."

She took the vial, focusing on keeping her hand steady.

Not bothering to even look at the two elder beings in front of her, she pocketed the object and walked off of the balcony area where they'd been talking, filled with the utter surety that she would not be drinking out of that vial any time in the future.


	7. The Episode of the Trousers

**Chapter 7**

Perhaps if she hadn't been so utterly exhausted, she might have stayed up all night, Holly mused as she rounded the corner of one of the hallways of Rivendell. She pulled her coat tighter around her body, her right pocket feeling heavier than usual.

Elrond had said that her condition had some sort of connection to the fate of Middle Earth. That hadn't scared her. What had really made her stomach drop was when he looked at her like he expected her to do something about it. Did he expect her to..._sacrifice_ something to save Middle Earth?

She spotted Bilbo coming down the hallway, heading in the opposite direction. As she passed him, she reached out to take hold of his arm.

"Not that way," she said. He must have still been irritated at her after the troll incident, but she thought she would do him a favor anyway.

"What? Why?" he asked stiffly, tugging his arm out of her grasp.

"The dwarves are…taking a bath. In the fountain. Thought you wouldn't want to see that." Judging by the faint blush on her cheeks, Bilbo guessed she already had.

"Not that way, then," Bilbo decided out loud. He cleared his throat. "Erm...do you know where the library is, by any chance?"

Holly nodded. "This way."

Bilbo hesitated for a moment, then followed her.  
As they walked, Bilbo admired their surroundings. Rivendell's peaceful aura was similar to that of the Shire, but there was also a sense of…grandeur, maybe? Perhaps he would come back here once he was done with his adventure.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Bilbo commented idly, admiring the clarity of the water as they passed over a small bridge.

Holly looked up, shaken from her thoughts. "Sure, I guess. Can't wait to leave."

Bilbo blinked, rather taken aback by that last comment. "You...are very strange," he decided out loud.

She shrugged. "I've had people say worse things."  
Realizing how that must have sounded, he added, "I—I didn't mean it as an insult."

"'Course you didn't," she responded sharply. "If you're going to say things like that, you could at least own up to it."

Bilbo flushed. He'd practically apologized, for Eru's sake! "Look," Bilbo said, raising his voice to meet her tone. "I know we didn't exactly get off on the right foot at first, but you don't have to snap at me."

There was a long silence. Bilbo was beginning to think she'd ignored his outburst altogether, but then she said, "Sorry," loud enough so she wouldn't have to repeat herself.

"I… It's fine. And I'm sorry if I offended you."

"We're here," Holly announced, choosing to ignore his last comment. She opened a set of impressive double doors, revealing a large room lined floor to ceiling with shelves of tomes, some of which were probably older than Rivendell itself. An elegant staircase led up to a partial second floor, where more books were stored.

Bilbo felt a slight pang as he thought about his books in his cosy hobbit hole. He looked out one of the windows. The view was lovely and had a sense of homeliness about it, but the Shire seemed years away.

Holly strode over to one of the shelves and began scanning the dim bindings, muttering under her breath.

"Ah."

She extracted a volume from the shelf and studied their covers. _Daegûl. _And underneath, in Westron, _Shadow Sorcery_.

"Interesting…reading choice," Bilbo commented from behind her.

"Yes. I'm studying to be a necromancer," Holly replied, turning to face him. "...It was a joke," she added at his baffled expression. "You can laugh."

"Um. Okay." The hobbit knit his eyebrows together. Hadn't they been fighting moments ago?

It was becoming increasingly harder to place her, Bilbo concluded as the young woman walked away without another word.

…..

"Holly. Holly, wake up."

Holly shifted onto her back, blinking sleepily. Someone was leaning over her...Nori, if the star-shaped hair was anything to go by. She propped herself up on one elbow to tell him she was awake and could he please stop shaking her shoulder.

"What time is it?" she mumbled, rubbing the heel of her hand into one eye, then the other.

"Do you really want to know?"

She gave a "hm," in lieu of a reply and sat up. "What's going on?"

"We're leaving Rivendell now. Thorin says we have to go quietly or the elves will try to stop us."

"Okay. Give me a minute." As soon as Nori had left, shutting the door behind him, Holly put her face in her hands, still trying to clear sleep and worry from her head. She felt nothing but gratitude that they were leaving Rivendell. The place was a constant reminder of her...predicament, which she still hadn't found a solution to. She'd spent all of the previous day searching in the library, and there was nothing that could have helped her.

And once she left Rivendell, chances were no one else would be able to offer any sort of guidance.

…

They reached the top of the path leading out of the valley just as the first rays of morning touched the valley. Bilbo thought the land was cast in a sort of melancholy glow, reminding him that each day brought him farther and farther away from the Shire; from safety, peace, normality. He stopped a moment and looked back, making a silent promise to come back to Rivendell, if he could.

"Master Baggins. I suggest you keep up," he heard Thorin call from further up the path.

The Company walked on as the shadows were pushed back by wistful rays of light.

….

They were barely a week in and their morale was already low. There was the fact that they now had a deadline to reach Erebor—by Balin's calculations, they had less than four months to reach the door in time to open it. This fact had put an ever-present tension in the air, and they'd begun sacrificing more and more sleep to make time for traveling.

And there was also the matter of the boulders.

Large chunks of rock often tumbled down the mountainside, set loose by wind and rain, forcing the Company to be extremely vigilant to avoid getting crushed. They also had to be meticulous about which spots to sleep in, to make sure everyone woke up in the morning.

On their sixth day after leaving Rivendell, everyone in the Company awoke in a particularly bad mood. A thick mist blanketed the mountainside, thickening their blood and lowering their spirits.

They ended up getting lost more than once, though Balin did his best to navigate through the confusing paths that wound over the side of the mountain. The only person who knew the land better than Balin was Gandalf, but the wizard hadn't departed Rivendell with them, saying he had 'other matters to attend'. Whatever that meant.

When they finally stopped to rest, everyone was scowling and grumbling about the late hour and lack of food.

Their small supper did nothing to improve the overall temper. Only Fili and Kili seemed to have recovered their usually cheerful mood.

After they ate the Company sat around, smoking and trying to shake off the general dysphoria long enough to fall asleep.

Holly fiddled with the straps of her pack, feeling very restless. It was as though springs were coiled tightly in her muscles, making tension reverberate throughout her body. The events of Rivendell still weighed on her heavily, and that combined with the fact that the day had just been utterly _awful_ made it very hard to concentrate on anything other than her bad mood.

"Oi, Holly!" Kili called out from across their small campsite.

"Yes?" she replied tersely. _What an ideal time to start a conversation. No doubt this will be a waste of my attention._

"Why don't you wear trousers like the rest of us? Surely it must be harder to walk in that dress of yours." He added something in a quieter tone that made he and his brother exchange smirks.

It didn't even occur to Holly at that moment that it was normal for dwarvish women to wear trousers and seeing as she was traveling with several dwarves, it wasn't really that insensible of a question.

"I'm a _woman_," she replied scathingly. "Women don't wear trousers… Idiots." Holly let that last word escape without a second thought. Which would have been fine, except everyone heard her. No one was planning on saying anything, though they were all quite offended. Dwarves were a proud race, but Holly's arrogance was really beginning to grate on everyone's nerves…

"Stop it. Just stop it."

Everyone turned to face Ori, who had leapt to his feet and was glaring at Holly.

"There's no need for you to be so rude! All of us have had a very long day and we're all in a bad mood but you _constantly_ have this attitude that all of us are beneath you! And we're not; _you_ should work on acting nicer to all of _us_. And you can start by apologizing to Fili and Kili!" Ori demanded.

There was a shocked silence. Holly could only stare as Ori gave her an insistent glare. No one had expected docile, sweater-wearing, slingshot-wielding Ori to deliver this outburst. Finally, she cleared her throat and turned back to Fili and Kili.

"Um. I…sorry about that." She felt a faint flush in her cheeks. This conversation had taken an unexpected turn.

Kili waved her off, looking vaguely surprised that she'd bothered to apologize at all. "S'alright."

Ori, apparently satisfied with this exchange, nodded and sat back down.

Holly sat as well, letting her hair fall into her face to hide the shame that ignited on her face.

_Well._

Had Ori been right to have said all of that? She didn't want to think of the implications if he had. Up until very recently, she'd been so sure of herself, of where she stood compared to others. No one had actually stood up to her like that before.

It was almost...intriguing.

**Heh, this was an awkward scene to write. But I really appreciate all the support I've been getting, especially the constructive criticism. Keep doing your thing, reviewers!**


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